Japan... Where things just work
Oh look, two posts practically right after another :D
Anyway, I have to say... One thing that impresses me the most about Japan is how things just work.
Examples:
Delivery:I order a book off of Amazon.co.jp wednesday night. Friday morning it is in my hands. A friend bought a book Friday night and got it Sunday morning. How's that for efficiency?
Trains: Always on schedule. All trains in Japan are so efficient and time correct, it makes websites like this possible. I can plan a trip from sapporo to hiroshima and I will arrive and depart at the correct times listed. The only times the trains aren't correct are due to natural disasters like earthquakes. Even then, the train system always manages to recover within a few hours.
The Shinkansen(bullet train) system is another gem. From Nagano to Tokyo in under 2 hours, Tokyo to Osaka 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, these trains cost a pretty penny... but well worth it.
Cell phones: The biggest craze in Japan. Everyone, from 10 year olds to 80 year olds, have a cell phone. Cell phones do everything you need here! You can watch TV, listen to music, get radio, surf the internet (and decent internet service, unlike Canada's service), use it as a compass, a GPS, Digital Camera (that works exceptionally well), barcode scanner (QR codes are the biggest thing here), and of course make phone calls. Just 30 minutes ago, I reserved train tickets on my cellphone! The internet on cellphones allow you to read news, book train tickets, check weather, check train times and transfers, even use Chat Clients! Whats even better, is my cellphone has an e-mail address and an e-mail service that works 100x better than SMS.
Security: I am pretty confident when I say Japan is one of the world's safest country. There are barely police on the streets and a few police boxes (not even stations) scattered around. The job of a police officer in Japan is pretty much to direct people around town.
Anyway, I guess I should get back to work...
Anyway, I have to say... One thing that impresses me the most about Japan is how things just work.
Examples:
Delivery:I order a book off of Amazon.co.jp wednesday night. Friday morning it is in my hands. A friend bought a book Friday night and got it Sunday morning. How's that for efficiency?
Trains: Always on schedule. All trains in Japan are so efficient and time correct, it makes websites like this possible. I can plan a trip from sapporo to hiroshima and I will arrive and depart at the correct times listed. The only times the trains aren't correct are due to natural disasters like earthquakes. Even then, the train system always manages to recover within a few hours.
The Shinkansen(bullet train) system is another gem. From Nagano to Tokyo in under 2 hours, Tokyo to Osaka 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, these trains cost a pretty penny... but well worth it.
Cell phones: The biggest craze in Japan. Everyone, from 10 year olds to 80 year olds, have a cell phone. Cell phones do everything you need here! You can watch TV, listen to music, get radio, surf the internet (and decent internet service, unlike Canada's service), use it as a compass, a GPS, Digital Camera (that works exceptionally well), barcode scanner (QR codes are the biggest thing here), and of course make phone calls. Just 30 minutes ago, I reserved train tickets on my cellphone! The internet on cellphones allow you to read news, book train tickets, check weather, check train times and transfers, even use Chat Clients! Whats even better, is my cellphone has an e-mail address and an e-mail service that works 100x better than SMS.
Security: I am pretty confident when I say Japan is one of the world's safest country. There are barely police on the streets and a few police boxes (not even stations) scattered around. The job of a police officer in Japan is pretty much to direct people around town.
Anyway, I guess I should get back to work...
posted by Matt at
12/14/2005 10:43:00 PM
